The 20 best PG movies on Netflix to stream now

The Angry Birds Movie (2016)

Ready, aim, fire! The Angry Birds have launched themselves out of their popular phone app and onto the big screen. On an island of high-flyers, Red (Jason Sudeikis) is known for his bad temper and furious outbursts, but when a crew of green pigs suddenly appears and seems to be interested in the colony's eggs, Red is the only one who recognizes the porcine threat. EW's critic writes that the movie "delivers a mildly diverting mix of winky meta-jokes and moral lessons, cannily aimed at both the next generation of tiny consumers and their more sophisticated parents." —Danny Horn

Where to watch The Angry Birds Movie: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Directors: Clay Kaytis, Fergal Reilly

Cast: Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph

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Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017)

In Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, fourth-grade pranksters George (Kevin Hart) and Harold (Thomas Middleditch) are at risk of being put in separate classes, so they hypnotize their grouchy principal (Ed Helms) into thinking that he's the tighty-whitied superhero Captain Underpants. It's not a subtle film by any measure — the villain is named Professor Pee-Pee Diarrheastein Poopypants Esquire. But EW's critic writes that the movie works "because it never tries to be more or less than what it is: A breezily surreal story about two best friends who love pranks and tree houses and drawing superheroes who wear their Underoos on the outside." —D.H.

Where to watch Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: David Soren

Cast: Kevin Hart, Ed Helms, Thomas Middleditch, Nick Kroll

Related content: Kevin Hart creates wacky superhero in Captain Underpants movie trailer

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023)

In this claymation sequel to Aardman Animations' 2000 hit Chicken Run, the valiant fowls Rocky (Zachary Levi) and Ginger (Thandiwe Newton) are living peacefully after escaping from Mrs. Tweedy's farm. But soon a new threat arises: a modernized poultry processing plant is built nearby, which uses electric collars to subdue the chickens and make them into tasty nuggets. When Rocky and Ginger's daughter, Molly (Bella Ramsey), is unwittingly trapped in the factory, it's up to the feathered fighters to mount a rescue. Typical for an Aardman production, the film is full of clever visual gags that punctuate a heartfelt adventure story. —D.H.

Where to watch Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget: Netflix

Director: Sam Fell

Cast: Thandiwe Newton, Zachary Levi, Bella Ramsey, Miranda Richardson

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Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022)

"It's a story you may think you know," says the cricket (Ewan McGregor), "but you don't." Indeed, Guillermo del Toro's new stop-motion animated version of Pinocchio is something we've never seen before — a dark but joyous story about the virtue of disobedience set in Italy during Mussolini's fascist regime. Fashioned by a woodcarver (David Bradley) grieving over the loss of his child, the little wooden puppet (Gregory Mann) is a rambunctious, willful lad who refuses to be caged or silenced. His adventures take him to the circus, the Army, the depths of the sea, and the afterlife in this impressive Oscar-winning masterpiece. —D.H.

Where to watch Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio: Netflix

Directors: Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson

Cast: Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Gregory Mann, Christoph Waltz

Related content: Guillermo del Toro explains why his Pinocchio has so much fascism in it

The LEGO Movie (2014)

Few expected a film that could've just been a feature-length ad for LEGO bricks would also be so vibrantly entertaining. Chris Pratt voices Emmet, an everyman LEGO figure propelled into an extraordinary plan to prevent his LEGO world from being glued together by the sinister Lord Business. Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller brilliantly realize the LEGO universe with eye-popping color and provide a resonant message about finding one's purpose. "It may be a helter-skelter kiddie adventure built out of plastic toy components," EW's critic writes, "but it's fast and original, it's conceptually audacious, it's visually astonishing, and it's 10 times more clever and smart and funny than it needed to be." —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch The LEGO Movie: Netflix

EW grade: A (read the review)

Directors: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller

Cast: Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Morgan Freeman

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Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (2022)

If you never expected to see Javier Bardem singing and dancing with a giant crocodile — and, really, who saw that coming? — then Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile will come as a delightful surprise. The film concerns young Josh (Winslow Fegley), who moves to New York City and discovers an amiable croc in the attic with the voice of Shawn Mendes. Naturally, the family finds it difficult to appreciate a reptile housemate at first, but when Lyle reunites with his old performing partner Hector (Bardem), they can't deny the magic that their new friend brings to their lives. (If only the neighbors agreed…) —D.H.

Where to watch Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile: Netflix

Directors: Will Speck, Josh Gordon

Cast: Javier Bardem, Constance Wu, Shawn Mendes, Winslow Fegley

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Marcel the Shell With Shoes On (2022)

Marcel is a little shell with a big personality in this charming indie comedy. Based on the series of shorts released in the early-2010s, the film centers on the walking, talking seashell as a documentary (er, mockumentary) filmmaker captures his everyday life. After the filmmaker posts videos of Marcel on the internet, he becomes a viral star, inspiring him to go on a quest to reunite with his family. Heartfelt with just the right sprinkling of wicked wit, Marcel the Shell With Shoes On deservedly earned an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature. —K.J.

Where to watch Marcel the Shell With Shoes On: Netflix

Director: Dean Fleischer Camp

Cast: Jenny Slate, Isabella Rossellini, Rosa Salazar, Thomas Mann, Dean Fleischer Camp, Lesley Stahl, Jesse Cilio

Related content: How Lesley Stahl wound up interviewing her tiniest subject in Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

The Monkey King (2023)

Loosely based on a classic 16th-century novel, The Monkey King offers a modern spin on Chinese mythology. A self-proclaimed hero and candidate for immortality, a bold young chimp (Jimmy O. Yang) declares himself King of the Monkeys and decides to fight 100 demons to become a god. He's silly and arrogant, but also a fierce fighter, stealing a magic staff from the Dragon King (Bowen Yang) that the monster would very much like to have back. A pleasing mix of comedy, adventure, and mysticism, The Monkey King highlights a folk tradition often overlooked in kids' movies. —D.H.

Where to watch The Monkey King: Netflix

Director: Anthony Stacchi

Cast: Jimmy O. Yang, Bowen Yang, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport, Jo Koy

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Nimona (2023)

A futuristic fairy tale for everyone who feels out of place, Nimona stars Chloë Grace Moretz as a willful shapeshifter who insists on becoming the sidekick to a knight (Riz Ahmed) unfairly accused of murdering the queen. Able to turn into anything as long as it's pink, Nimona glories in the freedom of defining her own identity, but risks being labeled a monster. As EW's critic observes, "The story admiringly delves into how such monsters are in fact created by a society that refuses to accept their differences." —D.H.

Where to watch Nimona: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Directors: Nick Bruno, Troy Quane

Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Riz Ahmed, Eugene Lee Yang, Frances Conroy

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Paddington (2014)

In Paddington, a talking bear shows up at a London train station looking for a British explorer who was once nice to his family in Peru. The marmalade-lover is taken in by the kindly Brown clan, but Paddington soon finds himself imperiled when a sinister museum taxidermist plots to stuff and display him. The gentle character from author Michael Bond's book series is brought to convincing life in this adorable adaptation. EW’s critic perhaps says it best, writing, "In honoring a beloved child-lit figure, writer-director Paul King has taken to heart the instructions hanging from Paddington's neck: 'Please look after this bear. Thank you.' Mission accomplished." —D.H.

Where to watch Paddington: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Paul King

Cast: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent

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Rango (2011)

This Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature follows the journey of a pet chameleon (Johnny Depp) to becoming the sheriff of a dusty Nevada town. After his terrarium is accidentally stranded in the Mojave Desert, the chameleon finds Dirt, a place where he reinvents himself as a tough-as-nails loner named Rango. With the town struggling through an uncompromising drought, Rango is tasked with finding a water supply and uncovers a shocking conspiracy along the way. Packed with references to classic Westerns like High Noon (1952) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), older movie buffs will certainly get a kick out of Rango, but it's also a quirky alternative for younger viewers tired of earnest Disney fare. —K.J.

Where to watch Rango: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Gore Verbinski

Cast: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Ned Beatty, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy, Harry Dean Stanton, Ray Winstone, Timothy Olyphant

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Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical (2022)

Precocious student Matilda Wormwood (Alisha Weir) leads a spirited uprising against the status quo in this lively adaptation of the book and stage musical Matilda. The girl's disdainful parents, unimpressed with her intelligence and independent spirit, decide to send her to Crunchem Hall, where the ruthless headmistress (Emma Thompson) specializes in bringing troublemaking tykes into line. Weir's fierce performance anchors the magical elements of the plot as she fearlessly stands her ground. The film features catchy tunes with impressively athletic choreography, and the revolutionary anthem "Revolting Children" is especially rousing. —D.H.

Where to watch Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical: Netflix

Director: Matthew Warchus

Cast: Alisha Weir, Emma Thompson, Lashana Lynch, Stephen Graham

Related content: Nominated for nothing: Matilda the Musical's grade A take on a classic Roald Dahl story deserved more love

The Sea Beast (2022)

In a world where enormous sea creatures threaten anyone who ventures out onto the ocean, it's up to brave heroes like the legendary Jacob Holland (Karl Urban) to hunt them down. But an orphan girl named Maisie (Zaris-Angel Hator) stows away on what could be Jacob's final voyage and discovers that the beasts may not be as fearsome as they appear. Jacob and his protégée must face off against the monsters — both marine and human — in this tale of bravery and heart, which snagged a Best Animated Feature nomination at the 2023 Oscars and became Netflix's most successful original animated film. —D.H.

Where to watch The Sea Beast: Netflix

Director: Chris Williams

Cast: Karl Urban, Zaris-Angel Hator, Jared Harris

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Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a standout in the crowded field of recent superhero blockbusters and an imaginative, stunning sequel to 2018's Into the Spider-Verse. Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), a teenage Spider-Man of Black and Puerto Rican descent, is drawn back into the kaleidoscopic multiverse where he meets endless iterations of alternate Spider-People — and discovers a devastating truth that threatens his family. EW's critic says the movie "totally exceeds expectations when it comes to visual aesthetic and character development." (But be prepared for a cliffhanger ending that leads directly into a third film currently in production.) —D.H.

Where to watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Directors: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson

Cast: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Jake Johnson

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Spy Kids: Armageddon (2023)

The fifth film in the Spy Kids franchise, Armageddon reboots the series after a more than 10-year absence from the screen. When two married spies (Zachary Levi and Gina Rodriguez) go missing, young Tony (Connor Esterson) and Patty (Everly Carganilla) discover their parents' safe house and learn how to become secret agents themselves. The villain is a game developer who's taken control of all technology, so naturally, the kids' familiarity with videogames is a major asset in the world-saving department. There aren't a lot of surprises if you've seen the previous installments, but newcomers will enjoy it. —D.H.

Where to watch Spy Kids: Armageddon: Netflix

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Cast: Gina Rodriguez, Zachary Levi, Connor Esterson, Everly Carganilla

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Trolls (2016)

If the kids are having a down day, Trolls is guaranteed to pick them up with a dazzling Day-Glo rainbow of cheer. The high-coiffed Trolls spend their time partying in a foam-and-fleece forest where everyone loves fun, especially the peppy Princess Poppy (Anna Kendrick). When their community is assailed by the goblin-like Bergens, Poppy has to team up with Branch (Justin Timberlake, who also co-wrote the film's Grammy-winning original song "Can't Stop the Feeling"), the only gloomy Troll. EW's critic writes that "the movie’s serotonin pumps like a fire hose. It’s almost impossible not to surrender to the bliss." —D.H.

Where to watch Trolls: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Mike Mitchell

Cast: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Zooey Deschanel, Gwen Stefani, James Corden

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Vivo (2021)

In addition to composing its songs, Lin-Manuel Miranda stars in Vivo, the story of a singing kinkajou who embarks on a dangerous but inspiring quest from Havana to Miami. When his street performer partner dies, Vivo is charged with delivering a romantic song to the man's lost love, a successful singer (Gloria Estefan) who's about to retire. Vivo is accompanied by Gabi (Ynairaly Simo), an irritating 10-year-old girl with a gift for music. EW's critic writes that the movie "sort of delivers as an energetic caper, moving from one colorful locale to another," and Miranda's melodies make the journey worthwhile. —D.H.

Where to watch Vivo: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Kirk DeMicco

Cast: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ynairaly Simo, Zoe Saldaña, Juan de Marcos, Gloria Estefan

The Willoughbys (2020)

Stuck with a mother and father who neglect and abuse them, the four young Willoughbys come up with a fiendish plot, sending their parents off on a vacation to dangerous places and hoping that they get killed. It's a grim premise, but the appealing characters and vibrant animation make The Willoughbys more uplifting than you'd expect, as the kids determine what kind of family they really want. The voice cast includes comedy powerhouses Will Forte as eldest son Tim, Maya Rudolph as the children's quirky nanny, and Ricky Gervais as the cat who narrates the film. —D.H.

Where to watch The Willoughbys: Netflix

Director: Kris Pearn

Cast: Will Forte, Maya Rudolph, Ricky Gervais, Alessia Cara

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Wonder (2017)

A child with a rare genetic condition comes of age in this winning drama based on the novel of the same name by R.J. Palacio. Auggie Pullman (Jacob Tremblay) is a 10-year-old boy who wears an astronaut helmet as a coping mechanism to hide his face as he navigates through the world with Treacher Collins syndrome. After years of homeschooling, his parents make him go to private school, where Auggie faces bullying but soon befriends a classmate who likes him for who he is. Earnest and moving, Wonder is a step above standard sentimental dramas of its kind. As EW's critic writes, "You're guaranteed to spend nearly two hours with a lump the size of a nectarine in your throat without resenting it." —K.J.

Where to watch Wonder: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Stephen Chbosky

Cast: Jacob Tremblay, Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Mandy Patinkin, Daveed Diggs

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Yes Day (2021)

Stressed parents Allison (Jennifer Garner) and Carlos (Edgar Ramirez) learn about the liberating power of "yes" in this winning family comedy. Allison's tired of her three kids calling her the "fun killer," so she and Carlos agree to observe Yes Day, a 24-hour period where they must agree to any crazy requests their children make. The kids, led by a pre-Wednesday Jenna Ortega, get their parents to dress in funny clothes, go through a carwash with the windows down, and take a trip to an amusement park, which turns unexpectedly chaotic. —D.H.

Where to watch Yes Day: Netflix

Director: Miguel Arteta

Cast: Jennifer Garner, Edgar Ramirez, Jenna Ortega, Julian Lerner

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